CME Group and NAFB Foundation to Award First-Ever Orion Samuelson Scholarship for Agricultural Communications

CHICAGO and PLATTE CITY, Mo., Oct. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — CME Group and the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Foundation today announced the first-ever recipient of the Orion Samuelson Scholarship. Elizabeth (Liz) Koehler, a senior at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as the recipient of this $5,000 NAFB Foundation scholarship sponsored by CME Group, and named in honor of legendary farm broadcaster, Orion Samuelson of WGN Radio.

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“The presentation of the 100^th NAFB Scholarship in the name of Orion Samuelson is about as good as it gets,” says NAFB Foundation President, Ken Root. “To have an Illinois farm girl, who grew up listening to Orion receive the scholarship is perfect. The scholarship helps the next generation prepare for a career in broadcasting and honors Orion who has dedicated his life to farm broadcasting.”

Liz grew up on her family’s grain farm, where she developed a love of agriculture. As an active 4-H and FFA member, Liz learned how important communication is in the agriculture industry. She is focusing her education on Broadcast Journalism, and minoring in Environmental Economics and Law and getting her Public Relations Certificate. After graduation, she hopes to combine these to report policy news for agriculture broadcast.

“Having been involved in the Foundation since its founding in 1975, I always felt it was important to help the next generation fulfill their dream to become a farm broadcaster and one way to do that is through the scholarship program,” says Orion Samuelson, WGN agricultural services director. “I am pleased that the CME Group shares that vision and I’m grateful for the funding in my name. I am deeply honored.”

“U.S. agriculture is critically important to the global economy,” said Terry Duffy, CME Group Executive Chairman and President. “Though our exchange has grown to list futures and options contracts in every major asset class, our roots remain in agriculture.  Therefore, we are both pleased and proud to offer this scholarship, which honors Orion’s extraordinary legacy in agriculture and farm communities around the country and supports the next generation who are dedicating themselves to careers in this important field.”

The award of the Orion Samuelson Scholarship to Ms. Koehler represents the 100^th scholarship presented to a college student seeking a career in agricultural communications since the NAFB Foundation began awarding scholarships in 1977.

About the NAFB Foundation
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting is a 501(c)(3) education foundation. It is focused on enhancing the value of agriculture, food production and rural lifestyle through the various forms of broadcasting, while assisting and benefiting industry partners, students, future broadcasters and the general broadcast audience. Learn more at www.nafbfoundation.com.

About CME Group
As the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) is where the world comes to manage risk.  CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, weather and real estate.  CME Group brings buyers and sellers together through its CME Globex® electronic trading platform and its trading facilities in New York and Chicago.  CME Group also operates CME Clearing, one of the world’s leading central counterparty clearing providers, which offers clearing and settlement services across asset classes for exchange-traded contracts and over-the-counter derivatives transactions. These products and services ensure that businesses everywhere can substantially mitigate counterparty credit risk.

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SOURCE CME Group